LE

I could only give the horrific photo an "informative", that "Dinger" survived at all is incredible, the skill of his medics and his own incredible resilience to such injuries make me humble and certainly puts life into perspective.

I’ll add to that by saying it shows the true professionalism of the Armed Forces, not just the British in this instance, but the Danes.

I’ll always remain proud of serving and those I had the good fortune to serve with. What happenned to me was a consequence of the job I loved and I was fortunate that job also provided the means for me to survive and possibly enjoy life. Those in other occupations are not so lucky.

You may not believe in God or a God, but trust me, when you’re really in the shit you will pray to everyone.

LE

I’ll add to that by saying it shows the true professionalism of the Armed Forces, not just the British in this instance, but the Danes.

I’ll always remain proud of serving and those I had the good fortune to serve with. What happenned to me was a consequence of the job I loved and I was fortunate that job also provided the means for me to survive and possibly enjoy life. Those in other occupations are not so lucky.

dinger without going all cushy, you're an inspiration! I feel ashamed to say that when I went to Iraq I set up a no resus in case of server life changing injuries. I didn't want to be a burden on my family.

With your injuries I wonder if you flat lined and were brought back, probably more than once. I would've ended up in the morgue with my no resus.

Seeing what you and others have suffered and still remain positive is inspirational and makes me a little ashamed of my choice. You and others have shown that the human spirit can overcome some of the most challenging of life's horrors.

LE

In the early days I wanted to die several times, just couldn’t see a way ahead, but I’ve kids and I’m still their dad regardless of my injuries, not only that not a day goes past where I think how lucky I am. A great many people lost their lives in Afghanistan, some of them my friends, I owe it to them to crack on, because I know their families would swap with me tomorrow, regardless of the injuries, just so they could see their loved one again.

You may not believe in God or a God, but trust me, when you’re really in the shit you will pray to everyone.

ADC

In the early days I wanted to die several times, just couldn’t see a way ahead, but I’ve kids and I’m still their dad regardless of my injuries, not only that not a day goes past where I think how lucky I am. A great many people lost their lives in Afghanistan, some of them my friends, I owe it to them to crack on, because I know their families would swap with me tomorrow, regardless of the injuries, just so they could see their loved one again.

LE

Point to note - Other people's conditions/injuries/illnesses in no way diminish one's own, or their impact on one's quality of life. A difficult concept to grasp, given the extent/severity of Dingerr's.

LE

Point to note - Other people's conditions/injuries/illnesses in no way diminish one's own, or their impact on one's quality of life. A difficult concept to grasp, given the extent/severity of Dingerr's.

LE

I'd hazard a guess that the list would include Halifax, the former Edward the VIII, and a lot of the other highest ranking members of the aristocracy. If you got a picture of all the lords, ladies, sirs and so on, and chucked some darts at it, you'd be hard-pressed not to hit a sympathizer with at least every other shot.

Thanks Dingerr. I wasn't meaning about me but having read some stories on other forums, it seems that a lot of worried/vulnerable/sad people can put off seeking help because they compare their own symptoms with others' and imagine they're less worthy of it.

Even for those of us that grew up with black and white telly and watched lots of black and white films, colour seems to bring those photos and films closer. The clear divide in technology and time is reduced. (Staged stuff can look a bit weird though due to the make up used to enhance contrast and amplify expressions in early films).

War Hero

Horrific injuries man you must have a fantastic mental attitude to not only survive them but to carry on with your life.
Not meaning to offend but looking at that photo reminds me of the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
I worked with a bloke who had an above the knee amputaion he joined some sort of an agency and when needed he works on movies depicting casualties getting limbs blown off. He wouldn't say how much he was paid but did say it was worthwhile money wise and was good fun.

Norwell was Born in Anguilla in the West Indies,
He had Police in his bloodline as well
His Grandfather was a Police Sergeant, ans three uncles were High Ranking Police Officers
He Enlisted on the Same day as Paul Condon who went on to become a met police commissioner ( and went to his leaving party)
He was Awarded the Queens Police Medal for his services
An old friend of mine served with him, and said that in spite of a great deal of racism and nasty comments, he refused to sink to their level and became a fine Police officer and later a Detective
He retired with the Rank of Detective Sergeant after 30 years service

LE

Horrific injuries man you must have a fantastic mental attitude to not only survive them but to carry on with your life.
Not meaning to offend but looking at that photo reminds me of the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
I worked with a bloke who had an above the knee amputaion he joined some sort of an agency and when needed he works on movies depicting casualties getting limbs blown off. He wouldn't say how much he was paid but did say it was worthwhile money wise and was good fun.

LE

In the early days I wanted to die several times, just couldn’t see a way ahead, but I’ve kids and I’m still their dad regardless of my injuries, not only that not a day goes past where I think how lucky I am. A great many people lost their lives in Afghanistan, some of them my friends, I owe it to them to crack on, because I know their families would swap with me tomorrow, regardless of the injuries, just so they could see their loved one again.

whenever you post anything like the earlier pics I can never make up my mind if you're lucky or unlucky, but thinking about it I don't really believe in luck so it just is what it is. Either way you've dealt with the consequences bravely and are an example of incredible resilience.

it might sound like a pat statement but I'm regularly grateful (although I'm not sure who or what to) to have come through herrick unharmed. I read the GQ article and spent a bit of time thinking about it. I didn't have any kids when I deployed but do now* and it's difficult to contemplate how else things might have worked out. You shouldn't really be alive so the fact you're here for your family now and for your kids as they go their own way is a miracle.

*if I didn't have kids it would've taken me about 1/5 of the time to type this

War Hero

In a thread titled "Photos that make you think", the image posted by @dingerr is going to be hard to beat. It makes me think how fortunate I am, and that if many circumstances had been different, that could have been me (or any one of many others). Thank you for posting it. When a sense of perspective is needed, I'll be thinking of that.